Zen Noodle Bar (Gainesville 34th & Archer)

My friend and I came here expecting a good meal, but were immediately met with shockingly poor customer service. The situation escalated to something far worse an employee came out screaming about guns, creating an environment that felt chaotic and extremely unsafe. We felt genuinely threatened. This was an absolutely unacceptable and frightening experience.

Ordered vegan ramen which was marked on the menu. FYI was told the noodles are vegetarian not vegan. Taste was bland and noodles undercooked. Don’t get the vegan ramen, save yourself the money.

The best gluten free friendly restaurant in Gainesville!! So grateful for y'all! I always get the gf calamari and noodles - rice based & delicious

I’ve been coming here for years, but the service has REALLY gone downhill. They were out of to-go containers, forgot one of our meals entirely, brought out lukewarm soup with no utensils, and never delivered the drink we ordered even after reminding them twice. We had to go inside just to get our water refilled. The restaurant was nearly empty, so there’s no excuse for such disorganized service. The food is still great, but until they improve,I’d recommend takeout if they have containers. I truly hope they improve the kinks with the new staff before it hurts the business. Currently it seems like either the staff has never worked in a restaurant or eaten at one or been around one.

Absolutely delicious food. If you like Thai curry I highly recommend the curry noodles, the broth is so delicious! The service was amazing and our server was very attentive to our needs. Even the general manager went so far as to go to the restaurant next door to grab boxes for us when they ran out. 10/10

It took them forever to serve but i liked zen ramen

This is our third visit, our first visit was OK. The Pad Thai is not very good.
The Pho is VERY good. Service was non chalant. It was pleasantly clean but took 20 minutes to get hot tea...
Second visit, they wouldn't serve us in the dining room, only to go. No thanks.
Third visit, a slow Thursday, waitress was very nice. Took forever to get food.
They were OUT OF Shrimp???!?? In Florida??? With an Asian market one minute's walk from restaurant? Lazy.
The windows are filthy. The bathroom was disturbingly messy. The dining room was OK. Waiting for food...

Finally.. Partner got his food, Sizzling Platter with tenderloin, He says it's good.
I got Pho with chicken (out of shrimp....).. No sides (cilantro, basil, sprouts, etc.) broth is delicious tho.
Never got the spring rolls we ordered...
We won't be back, Pho 84 is much better.
As the final act, as we are eating, the waitress (nice as pie), hands me the device to pay. We were basically given the bum's rush! Lol. Terrible

We came here because of the reviews but I wish I scrolled more carefully through them because people’s complains about the service and the way it’s run matched with our experience. Took a long time to take our order, it looked like they were overrun by online orders, and multiple people were waiting around. Our waiter forgot to bring our drinks. In men’s bathroom the soap dispenser was broken and couldn’t be used which is worrisome since the employee’s most likely wash their hands there too. The food was okay but there were some ingredients missing from my main dish which was disappointing since it was one of the priciest ones.

I ordered from DoorDash. I got the chicken # Zen Ramen. It was missing mushrooms, bamboo, the egg, ginger and sesame seeds. It pretty much only had the chicken, noodles and some scallions. It was also cold. The flavor/taste was okay. This was my first time trying them and will likely be my last.

Amazing Restaurant, amazing food, & amazing staffing.

They use MSG in all of their food! I am allergic to this ingredient & they refused to remake my order without MSG, nor refund me of my order. Beware!

came to Zen Noodle around 7:30 PM tonight, looking forward to their BOGO pho special. I expected it to be busy, and it was. We were greeted by a friendly host who told us the wait would be 40-45 minutes, which we were fine with. True to their word, we waited 45 minutes before being seated.

However, this is where things went downhill. The table next to us arrived after we did, but their order was taken first. We were completely overlooked. I waited another 10 minutes, giving them some grace since they were winding down from a busy evening, but still, no one came to take our order. At that point, I felt like we’d been forgotten, so I went inside to place our order myself.

That’s when I was told they had just run out of brisket, ribeye, and beef broth (unfortunately all essential components of pho) because the last order had just been placed. I asked if they could substitute ramen for pho instead, given this was their mistake, but they refused and said it wouldn’t qualify for the BOGO deal.

Mistakes happen, and I understand that, but refusing to address or fix the issue for customers is unacceptable, especially since the table next to us was able to place an order just in time. By the time this was all sorted out, it was 9 PM, and every other pho restaurant in the area was closed. After waiting an hour between the initial wait and being neglected at our table, I left feeling extremely disappointed and frustrated.

This experience left a bad taste in my mouth and I don’t see myself returning, or recommending this place to anyone I know.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Ordered for delivery. Food was flavorless, rice undercooked, chicken tough.

Food: 1

Best place love summer rolls

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My husband and I had dinner on a Sunday, it was not packed or very busy. We ate outside and the atmosphere was nice. However, when we received our menus, mine was filthy. It still had caked on food and other sauces on it. We considered it a fluke since we wanted to give the place a chance. We ordered and were brought our waters. Everything was fine until our food was brought out. My husband's spoon still had sauce caked on the bottom of the spoon. After we asked for the replacement spoon, we didn't see our server for the rest of the meal. No check ins, no refills for our water or anything. My husband had to go inside and ask for the check after waiting about 20 minutes.

The food was okay, but I think the service really left a sour taste in our mouths.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1